Chapter 178 - Pear Blossoms Bloom (Part One)
In the 186th year of the Ruen Dynasty, a great flood swept through Qizhou, destroying countless homes and displacing the people. Banditry and unrest surged through the region as a result.
Chen Kaiming had been on the imperial throne for eighteen years when that happened. He was thirty-nine and in the prime of his life.
Two months after the Qizhou was flooded, Chen Kaiming personally set out to inspect the affected area, and stayed for five days before he returned to the imperial capital.
On the day Chen Kaiming returned to Tianjing, his dragon carriage entered through the capital's main gate and proceeded down a broad avenue leading directly to the Imperial City. People filled the streets, squeezing together shoulder to shoulder to welcome him. The noise of the crowd was thunderous, as if his return were a grand festival.
"Ah Dou, would you say I can be considered a wise ruler?" Chen Kaiming’s voice came from inside the dragon carriage, just loud enough for Yue Dou, who was walking beside the carriage, to hear despite the roar of the crowd.
Yue Dou smiled slightly, his youthful face calm and unperturbed, as he softly replied, "Your Majesty’s virtue is evident. Naturally, you are a wise ruler for the ages."
"Hahaha..." The Emperor's hearty laughter sounded from within the dragon carriage, brimming with barely-contained pride. "Ah Dou, your flattery skills are becoming more refined. Who taught you that? I must reward them handsomely."
"It’s naturally due to Your Majesty’s excellent guidance," Ah Dou replied with a smile.
"Oh, Ah Dou, are you saying I taught you how to flatter others?" Chen Kaiming spoke like he had been provoked, it was obvious that he wasn’t actually angry.
Although Yue Dou knew the person inside the carriage couldn’t see him, he still gave a slight bow and said, "I wouldn’t dare... My meaning is that as Your Majesty is a wise ruler for the ages, serving by Your Majesty’s side makes it only natural—"
"Chen Kaiming!"